The present invention is directed in general to monitoring operational parameters and fault-related information of a railroad locomotive, and more specifically, to a method and apparatus for remotely identifying incorrect versions of software resident on the locomotive.
Cost efficient railroad operation requires minimization of locomotive down time, and especially the avoidance of line-of-road locomotive failures. Failure of a major locomotive system can cause serious damage, require costly repairs, and introduce significant operational delays. A line-of-road failure is an especially costly event as it requires dispatching a replacement locomotive to pull the train, possibly rendering a track segment unusable until the disabled train is moved. Therefore, the health of the locomotive engine and its constituent sub-assemblies is of significant concern to the railroad.
Today""s modern locomotive includes multiple microprocessors, each controlled by one or more software programs. Because there are literally dozens of such software programs on the locomotive, it is critical for operational and maintenance purposes to ascertain the version number of the software programs and ensure that this version number is correct. In some cases, certain software versions may be incompatible with other software running on the locomotive or a particular software version may not match the hardware configuration. Additionally, incorrect software versions can cause operational problems and delays in detecting the root cause of fault conditions. In fact, the root cause may simply be the incorrect software version. It is therefore critical to periodically determine whether the software version number is correct.
One apparatus for minimizing locomotive down time measures performance and fault-related operational parameters of the locomotive during operation. Analysis of this information can provide timely indications of expected and immediate component failures. With timely and nearly continuous access to locomotive performance data, it is possible for locomotive repair experts to predict and/or prevent untimely failures.
Such an apparatus is described and claimed in the commonly owned patent application entitled, xe2x80x9cOn-Board Monitor for a Railroad Locomotivexe2x80x9d. This application bears the application Ser. No. 09/696,368 and was filed on Oct. 25, 2000. The on-board monitor collects, aggregates, and communicates locomotive performance and fault related data from an operating locomotive to a remote monitoring and diagnostic center. The data is collected periodically or as required by various triggering events that occur on the locomotive during operation. Generally, anomalous or fault data is brought to the attention of the locomotive operator directly by these control systems, but the locomotive itself lacks the necessary hardware and software elements to diagnose the fault. It is therefore advantageous to utilize an on-board monitor to collect and aggregate the information and at the appropriate time send it to a remote monitoring and diagnostic service center. Upon receipt of the performance data at the remote site, data analysis tools operate on the data to identify the root cause of potential or actual faults. Experts in locomotive operation and maintenance also analyze the received data to develop repair recommendations for preventative maintenance or to correct faults. Historical anomalous data patterns can be important clues to an accurate diagnosis and repair recommendation. The lessons learned from failure modes in a single locomotive can also be applied to similar locomotives in the fleet so that the necessary preventive maintenance can be performed before a line-of-service break down occurs. When the data analysis process identifies incipient problems, certain performance aspects of the locomotive can be derated to avoid further system degradation and further limit violations of operational thresholds until the locomotive can undergo repair at a repair facility.
Before describing in detail the particular configuration apparatus and method in accordance with the present invention, it should be observed that the present invention resides primarily in a novel combination of processing steps and hardware related to a software configuration technique. Accordingly, these processing steps and hardware components have been represented by conventional processes and elements in the drawings, showing only those specific details that are pertinent to the present invention so as not to obscure the disclosure with structural details that will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art having the benefit of the description herein.
The on-board monitor aboard the locomotive monitors and collects data indicative of the vehicle operation from several locomotive control systems. In addition to operational parameters, the on-board monitor retrieves the identification number for various software programs on board the locomotive. The software identification information is sent to the remote monitoring and diagnostic center where it is checked against the expected configuration information. Mismatches are notated for resolution by experts in locomotive operation and maintenance resident at the remote monitoring and diagnostic center.